I had wanted to attend a TED Talk since I first saw a video of one. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to hear that students from my own school community were going to be speaking at the TEDxYouth@NIST event on September 5th.

The reason I love TED Talks is because they are personal and make me think. The range of topics and passions in the world is inspiring, no matter which video I happen to come across on any occasion. The fact that the speakers were from my own community was even more personal and inspiring that I thought it would be. The event itself was full of community and rich discussion about "things that matter" too. I participated by writing a thought of mine inspired by a talk on a speech bubble to tweet to the world and learned about a student-led FairNIST coffee initiative going on at my school.

The 15 speakers included an impressive representation of NIST alumni, current students and friends of our community. Alumni speakers included Jarutat Snidwongse Na Ayuthaya from the Royal Project Foundation and Praya Nataya Lundberg, well-known Thai actress and model. Abria Joseph even entranced the audience with his special Swiss instrument called a "hung".

The best part though? I loved the thinking that went on in my own mind about the topics these passionate students and adults presented. I am sure that audience member had as many take-aways are there were people but here is what grabbed my attention most:

I am still reflecting on Frank (Caio Francis Miguez) Dwyer's questions for the audience:

"If your life was a book, would you care to read it? What do you want your legacy to be?"

Patrick Newell's words resonated with what I see in the classroom and my hopes for my students' futures:

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. Stay curious."

As an expat who always associates the idea of home with people, I loved the way Vaibhaw Ladha summarized my feelings so perfectly:

"It's the people who create the paradise you find."

Alix Heugas captured the entire audience while exposing how science disproved myths but now is coming full circle to prove their grounding in truth. Her example about how we know that werewolves do not exist but science is increasingly proving the effects of the full moon on humans in relation to crime rates was insightful.

Adrija Chaudhuri challenged the entire audience with her confronting question:

"Why shouldn’t I, being more privileged than some people, stand up for those who can’t?"

Creativity? Passion? Worthwhile? Inspiring? These kids nailed it.

Big THANKS to the organizers, Tosca Killoran and Matt Manfredi (and many others!), for getting these youth' voices out there.